Apparatus for coiling strip material



p 1961 J. A. TRACY 3,001,737

APPARATUS FOR COILING STRIP MATERIAL Filed Feb. 17, 1960 United States Patent 9 3,001,737 APPARATUS FOR COILING STRIP MATERIAL' John Andre Tracy, Bournemouth, England, assignor to The Loewy Engineering Company Limited, Bournemouth, England, a corporation of Great Britain Filed Feb. 17, 1960, Ser. No. 9,280 4 Claims. (Cl. 2427 8.4)

This invention relates to an apparatus for coiling strip material, in particular, hot rolled metal strip issuing from a rolling mill stand.

A type of coiler widely in use Comprises a rotatably driven collapsible mandrel surrounded by guide rollers which, during a coiling operation, are pressed against the strip as it is being wrapped around the mandrel. In one particular construction, the guide rollers are mounted on carriers which are connected by link systems to fluid operated reciprocators, for moving the carriers, together with their rollers, radially towards or away from the coiler drum. The arrangement is somewhat complicated and requires a considerable amount of room consequently affecting the overall dimensions of the apparatus.

During operation of the coiler, the leading end of the strip material travels between the mandrel and the guide rollers, the latter being successively pushed aside by the strip. Without the provision of some form of damping means, this pushing action is sufiicient to produce inertia forces causing the guide rollers to rebound back and forth against the mandrel to deform the first few layers of the strip material. To overcome this shock effect it has been proposed that the aforementioned link systems include resilient elements, each system being common to a number of groups of rollers. Such an arrangement has the disadvantage that these elements provide inadequate damping since, as they operate in conjunction with more than one roller group, their damping characteristics do not remain constant.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a coiler of the type described in which the means for actuating the guide rollers are simplified, so that throughout coil build-up the guide rollers are held radial with respect to the coiler drum although the guide rollers follow a linear path oblique to the radius of the coiler drum, instead of following the well known radial path, and in which coils with high build-up can be handled without having to increase proportionally the overall dimensions of the apparatus.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a coiler with improved damping means for said guide rollers.

Broadly, in accordance with the present invention an apparatus for coiling strip material comprises a central mandrel, guide rollers, mounted on carriers around said mandrel, reciprocators, displaceable towards and away from the surface of the mandrel, each pivotally coupled to two adjacent carriers, so that the reciprocator and the coupling points of said carriers are movable towards or away from the mandrel along substantially parallel paths, and separate guide means associated with each of said carriers whereby the guide rollers of a carrier are maintained in contact with the outer surface of said strip during coiling thereof.

According to a further feature of the invention, two guide rollers are mounted on each carrier, an intermediate coupling link being pivoted at its opposite ends to said Patented Sept. 26, 1961 carrier and to a linearly movable portion of said reciprocator respectively, and a guide arm projecting from each carrier engages a slideway so that movement of each pair of guide rollers towards or away from the mandrel produces a tilting movement of said carrier, suflicient to maintain both guide rollers in contact with the outer surface of said strip.

Preferably, a resilient element is associated with the coupling link whereby each pair of rollers is provided with independent shock absorbing means. Preferably, also, said slideway is mounted for a limited degree of angular displacement for shock absorbing purposes.

One embodiment of an apparatus for coiling strip material in accordance with the present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, which shows a coiler diagrammatically in elevation.

In the embodiment referred to there is provided a framework structure 10 which supports a central rotatable mandrel or drum 12 around which is disposed a cluster of guide rollers 14 mounted in pairs. The mandrel 12 is collapsible, as well known, to enable the finished coils to be readily discharged therefrom. In the present example, there are four pairs of guide rollers 14, it being understood that the number of guide rollers and their distribution can be varied within the limitations of the present invention.

The mandrel 12 and guide rollers 14 are driven by suitable driving means, not shown, it being preferred to provide the mandrel with its own separate driving motor and each pair of guide rollers also with their own individual drives. Disposed between adjacent guide rollers are guide blocks 16. The guide rollers 14 and the guide blocks 16 together defined a circular space around the mandrel 12 in which the strip S to be coiled enters through a guide piece 18 in a substantially tangential direction.

Reciprocators 20 in the form of pressure means for the guide rollers are provided by fluid operated cylinder and ram units in duplicate, one unit being provided for two adjacent pairs of rollers 14. To this end, each pair of guide rollers 14 is mounted on a single carrier member 22, an intermediate coupling link 24 being pivoted at its opposite ends to said carrier member 22 and to a linearly movable portion 25 of the associated pressure means respectively. Thus the carrier members 22 and,

their rollers 14 are capable of receding outwardly as the coil is built up, while being maintained constantly under inwardly directed pressure. The rollers are shown in the figure in full lines in their innermost and in dotted lines in their outermost positions.

The arrangement of each cylinder and ram unit 20 and its associated guide rollers 14 is such that during movement of the latter away from the mandrel 12 during coil build-up, the pivotal point 26 between each carrier member 22 and its corresponding coupling link 24 follows a path substantially parallel with the direction of displacement imparted by the cylinder and ram unit 20.

That portion of each coupling link 24 pivotally engaging at pivot 70 the movable portion of the associated pressure means is provided with a rocker arm ex- I tension 28 engaging the end of a spring loaded plunger during the formation of the first convolutions of the coil, can thus largely be absorbed. The sole purpose fulfilled by coupling link 24 having rocker arm extension 28 engaging plunger 30 is to give a measure of resilience to the associated guide rollers 14 during winding of the coil.

A guide arm 3-2 formed integrally with each carrier member 22 projects from the outer surface of the latter, and at its outer end is pivotally coupled by pin 60 to a, slide block 34 mounted in a slideway 315. The slideway 36 is disposed at such an angle relative to its associated pair of guide rollers 14 that during movement thereof towards or away from the surface of the mandrel 12 or the strip material S during coil build-up, the guide arm 32, which has its inner end at a pivotal point 26 restrained to follow a path substantially parallel with the direction of displacement of the cylinder and ram unit 20, tilts about its outer end which is pivotally coupled by pin 60 to slide block 34 during the movement of slide block 34 in slideway 36. The angle between guide arm 32 andthe path of reciprocation of reciprocator 20 decreases during retraction of the reciprocator 20 and conversely increases during the advance of the reciprocator 20 as can be seen in the drawing and particularly so that the guide arm 32 is continually maintained in a substantially radial direction with respect to the mandrel 12, whereby the guide rollers 14 are in turn maintained in tangential rleationship to the material S. -Each slideway 36 is mounted for a limited degree of pivotal movement, the sole purpose of which is to enable that sudden shock loads, such as occur at the beginning of a coiling operation, can be absorbed. To this end, each slideway 36 is provided with resilient damping means 38 whose combined action with the aforementioned spring loaded plunger members 30 enables the guide rollers 14 to recede individually and absorb sudden shock loads.

The apparatus also includes the usual pinch rolls 40, '42 at the entry of the guide piece 18, with a deflecting roller 44 at its exit. This guide piece 18 is formed in two parts, of which one'is an upper longitudinal guide member 46 pivotally mounted at one end adjacent the pinch rolls and carrying at its opposite end the deflecting roller 44, and also pivoted to one end of a linkage 48 coupled to a fluid operated pivotable plunger member 59. The other part consists of lower guide member 52 which is arranged below the upper guide member 46 and intermediate its end is provided with a pivotal connection to an arm 54 projecting from one of the aforementioned reciprocators 20 associated with the guide rollers. The outer end of the guide member 52 is mounted'in an angularly disposed slideway 56, so that operation of the reciprocator or cylinder and ram unit 29 will cause the guide member 52 to withdraw in a direction complementary to the movement of the guide 1 rollers 14, as the diameter of the coiled strip material on the mandrel increases, by tilting about an' arm 54 which is constrained to move parallel with the path of movemnet of the reciprocator of cylinder and ram unit 20 while the outer end of guide member 52 slides in slideway 56 to maintain the inner end of the guide member 52 radial'with respect to the mandrel 12. At the same time, operation of the aforementioned plunger member 50 will cause the upper guide member 46 to pivot about its fixed axis and move the deflecting roller 44 away from the mandrel 12 along an arcuate path in accordance with the increased diameter of the coiled strip material. i

The duplicate reciprocators 20 which each control two pairs of guide rollers 14, may be operated either independently or in unison, respectively either from different pressure fluid sources or from a common source of fluid pressure. Likewise, the plunger member 50 controlling sh ws? of fluid pressure. The movement imparted to the guide rollers 14 and the upper and lower guide members 44 and 52 during operation of the coiler is such that the overall dimensions of the apparatus are maintained at a minimum. Moreover, due to the linkage arrangement and the elfective utilisation of space, the framework structure 10 can be made very compact so that the length of the guide piece 18 can, therefore, also be maintained at a minimum. This is of considerable importance since, in order to obtain an etfective guide, it is essential to maintain as short a length of strip material between the pinch rolls and deflecting roller as possible.

For illustrative purposes, when the ratio of the length of guide arm 32 from pivot 26 to the pivot at slide block 34 and of the perpendicular distance of pivot 26 from the longitudinal axis of reciprocator 20 is approximately 3 to.2, and when the ratio of the distance from pivot 26 to the tangent to the surface of the coiled strip with respect to the perpendicular distance of pivot 26 from the longitudinal axis of reciprocator 20 is approximately 0.8 to l, the angle between the longitudinal axis of reciprocator 20 and the longitudinal axis of the slideway 36 is substantially 15 degrees, the angular movement of the tilting of'the guide arm 32 is substantially 15 degrees, and the angle between the longitudinal axis of the guide arm 32 and of the slideway 36 is about 37 degrees when the guide rollers are in their innermost position, and about 52 degrees when the guide rollers are in their outermost position.

' What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for coiling strip material comprising a framework structure, a central mandrel, a plurality of guide rollers surrounding'said mandrel, a plurality of carriers for supporting said guide rollers at the ends thereof which are adjacent said mandrel, a reciprocator carried by said framework structure for movement to wards and away from the surface of said mandrel along a path radially oriented with respect to said mandrel, a linking member connecting said reciprocator and at least one of said carriers for moving said one carrier towards and away from the surface of said mandrel upon movement of said reciprocator, and a mechanism carried by said framework structure and connected to said one carrier at the other end thereof which is away from said mandrel so that the said carrier moves along a path which is inclined with respect to the radial path of said reciprocator, said mechanism cooperating with said reciprocator to move said carrier with simultaneous motion of translation and rotation so that while said reciprocator moves radially said mechanism simultaneously traverses and tilts said other end of said one carrier so that said one carrier is given a curvilinear translation motion and held continuously radially oriented with respect to said mandrel during and throughout coiling.

2. An apparatus for coiling strip material comprising a framework structure, a central mandrel, a plurality of guide rollers surrounding said mandrel, a plurality of carriers for said guide rollers, a reciprocator carried by said famework structure for movement towards and away from the surface of said mandrel, said reciprocator being provided with a linking member between said reciprocator and at least one of said carriers for moving said one carrier towards and away from the surface of said mandrel upon movement of said reciprocator, and a mechanism carried by said framework structure and connected to said one carrier to cooperate with said reciprocator to orient said carrier and the guide rollers carried thereby so that as said guide rollers are moved by said reciprocator said mechanism is operative to simultaneously traverse and tilt said one carrier so that it is held continuously radially oriented with respect to said mandrel during and throughout coiling, said mechanism comprising a guide arm integral at one end with said carrier and carrying a pin at the other end thereof, a slider, said pin being attached to said slider, and a guiding slideway formed in said framework structure for guiding said slider, said slideway being inclined relative to the line of movement of said reciprocator to provide the traverse and tilting of said carrier.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further including a resilient element carried by said reciprocator between said linking member and said reciprocator whereby said one carrier is provided with an independent shock absorber.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which said 10 guiding slideway is mounted fora limited degree of angular movement relative to said framework structure for absorbing shock arising during coiling of the strip and transmitted through said one carrier.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,268,125 Nash et a1. Dec. 30, 1941 

